Woman wearing a hard hat and safety goggles operates a large industrial drill press in a workshop.

Practices & Centers

Center for Apprenticeship & Work-Based Learning

Expanding and creating access to high-quality apprenticeship and work-based learning.

We empower delivery of high-quality, equitable apprenticeship and work-based learning opportunities.

Two workers wearing protective helmets and gloves operate machinery in an industrial setting. One adjusts the controls while the other observes.

Apprenticeship, pre-apprenticeship, and work-based learning are proven models for supporting economic advancement for workers, but many employers struggle to implement high-quality programs. And despite significant growth in recent years, equity gaps persist.

Jobs for the Future’s Center for Apprenticeship & Work-Based Learning is a leader in expanding these proven models to new industries and professions. By supporting system and program designs, we connect a diverse population of youth and adults to quality jobs and enable businesses to develop workers with the skills they need to grow.

Key Initiatives

A man in a white shirt works on a laptop at a table with financial graphs displayed on a large screen in the background.

Scaling Apprenticeship and Work-Based Learning

We reach new industries and more workers facing barriers to advancement by designing and launching high-quality apprenticeship and work-based learning programs.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in Registered Apprenticeship

We build DEIA into apprenticeship systems and program delivery, advocate for policies that center employer accountability, and offer resources for program design.

Promoting Youth Apprenticeship

By partnering with a diverse network of providers, we create innovative models to engage students, youth not attending school, and underemployed young adults.

News & Ideas

A person wearing a hard hat and safety glasses inspects machinery with hoses in an industrial setting, while another person in a yellow hard hat is in the background.

Promising Approaches for Connecting Opportunity Youth to Registered Apprenticeships

Learn promising practices in building and growing successful apprenticeship programs for opportunity youth.

A person in a polka dot shirt writes in a notebook at a desk with a computer monitor displaying text.

Framework for a High-Quality Pre-Apprenticeship Program: IT

This pre-apprenticeship framework outlines the six key characteristics of a high-quality pre-apprenticeship program with a focus on the IT industry.

Group of people in blue uniforms working on electronics equipment in a classroom setting.

JFF’s National Innovation Hub for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in Registered Apprenticeship

Registered Apprenticeship has a proven track record of producing strong results for workers and employers.

Featured Projects

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in Registered Apprenticeship

Learn more

Two workers in orange safety gear and blue helmets operate control panel buttons in an industrial setting.

Improving Diversity and Equity in Apprenticeships for Manufacturing

Over the next 5 years, JFF will work to provide apprenticeship opportunities in manufacturing to nearly 2,000 women and people of color.

Learn more

Two young individuals work on electronics at a cluttered desk, wearing safety glasses and using tools, surrounded by various electronic components and equipment.

Next-Generation Apprenticeship for Next-Generation Talent

By 2026, JFF aims to prepare 1,000 young people for entry into pre-apprenticeship and Registered Apprenticeship programs, with an emphasis on those from populations that are underrepresented in Registered Apprenticeship.

Learn more

A woman in a pink blazer sits at a table with a laptop and documents, smiling and looking to the side, in a well-lit office space.

Youth Apprenticeship Intermediaries

JFF helps schools, employers, and other organizations connect more than 1,400 youth to apprenticeship programs.

Learn more

Impact Stories

A person operates a milling machine, cutting metal with lubricant applied. Metal shavings are scattered around the workpiece secured in the machine.

JFF Drives Talent Growth for John Deere

JFF partnered with John Deere to build and deliver a national apprenticeship program for agriculture and equipment technicians and heavy construction equipment mechanics.

A person with braided hair, wearing a hard hat and goggles, holds a chainsaw in a forested area.

JFF's Program Design Framework for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in Registered Apprenticeship

We offer employers and Registered Apprenticeship sponsors field-informed program design elements and considerations for building systems, processes, partnerships, and practices.

Three people sit at a desk with laptops, smiling and working. A woman in a blue blazer is in the center, facing left. Indoor plants and computer screens are visible in the background.

Making Work-Based Learning Work

Work-based learning helps alleviate a common issue for jobseekers: meeting a "relevant work experience" prerequisite that is hard to gain outside of the workplace.

Team

Vinz Koller

Vice President

Vinz Koller is vice president of the Center for Apprenticeship & Work-Based Learning at JFF. He champions initiatives that emphasize how states can leverage apprenticeships to enhance economic growth and expand accessible career pathways. His…

Vanessa Bennett

Director

Vanessa Bennett is a director at the Center for Apprenticeship & Work-Based Learning at JFF. She works to drive equity, inclusion, and access to the workforce for workers and learners from underrepresented populations through policy and…

Krysti Specht

Director

Krysti Specht is a director in the Center for Apprenticeship & Work-Based Learning at JFF, supporting the national expansion of innovative practices that connect education and employment. Her skills and areas of expertise include: Work-based…

Myriam Sullivan

Senior Director

Myriam Sullivan is a senior director in the Center for Apprenticeship & Work-Based Learning at JFF. She works to advance career pathways for populations who are underrepresented in high-demand sectors of the economy. Her work…

Meet our Staff

Learn more

The Center for Apprenticeship & Work-Based Learning and our network of expert partners are available to help you learn about apprenticeship, build new programs, improve diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility practices, and more. Contact us to learn more about how you can partner with us or support our work, and subscribe for updates.

Contact Us Subscribe